Why Voting Still Matters

I promised yal Olay’s Election Survival Guide before 2023 ended and it took forever but it’s here! Thank you to @FDSignifire @therationalnational @TheHumanistReport @TheConsciousLee @JessieGender1 @TheSerfTimes Nina Turner, Alex Vitale, Sophia Gurule, Dr. Ronald Stephens, Kassandra Frederique & Imani Gandy for lending your voices and expertise to this massive doc unpacking why voting and the 2024 election matters, vote blue no matter who, voter apathy & the Black vote. I hope you enjoy Olay’s Election Survival Guide & Happy New Year.

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Edited By: @AyAyRonB

0:00 Intro
23:15 Revolution vs. Civic Engagement
1:12:37 The Government vs. The People
1:42:20 "Democrats & Republicans Are The Same"
3:09:00 Closing Thoughts

[DMLoosey]

I am binging your material after your debate with that mayor from NY. WOW. I've been sleeping on your content for a minute now. I am so glad, as a Black professional, to see we have a voice like yours in this space. Your voice is so valuable, and I appreciate your patience and diligence in talking about these issues. All love ❤️

[connerblank]

You know, I don't think I've ever heard an endorsement of voting blue _remotely close_ to the power of "I just want the weakest politician possible in office because I'm fighting them regardless."

[okwaleedpoetry]

no politician should be safe from criticism

[justsaychloe]

My roommate and I were at the Seattle Space Needle shutdown for Palestine when this video went up. She's been a semi-frequent volunteer at Food Not Bombs since she was fourteen, and I have been a member of the DSA for nearly two years. I sat with this video for awhile. If I can rant candidly, then I want you and others in this comment section to know how valuable this has been for me.

I am an Asian-Pacific Islander mixed, dual-citizenship immigrant, a Jewish convert, and a transgender woman. I turn twenty into three months. I consider myself well-read, yet I dropped out of college to better support my family. Infinite indescribable things inform my worldview, but I have taken the last year (especially the last eighty-seven days) to relearn my real, tangible socio-political impact, and your video was like a breath of fresh air. Particularly the section on revolution versus civic engagement, for I have always struggled with my desire to be a "burn it all down" martyr while surrounded by frustrating people that claim this mantle without actually risking anything. Your video made me realise that there's a reason I'm frustrated; we (including myself) have not been honest with ourselves on how my circle is better suited for civic engagement roles, and it may be more productive to lean into that rather than constantly fighting myself to perform (key word) revolutionary acts. This conclusion comes after a lot of introspection taking from lots of reading, but you put it best. It's a surprisingly-targeted, relieving insight to take away from a stranger on the Internet. Thank you for your lived experience and your effort in being understanding and direct.

Also, while many other commenters have already espoused it, the later sections on how our fight is a forever-struggle for the people against the government and how it is useful to think about the Democrats and Republicans as differing opponents rather than bettering proponents of change has provided me with the words to better explain my burgeoning perspective on voting and running for offices. The elections are very quiet in Washington state, which is paradoxically both densely urban and also devoid of community (some call it the Seattle Freeze, others call it the aftershocks of racial residential segregation), so heaps of our reliably-blue candidates run largely unopposed. Also, I'm young and couldn't vote for a long time. Nevertheless, I distinctively remember us nearly turning red in the 2016 Presidential election, and I remember my brother's white fiancée complaining about the election being stolen even then. And Trump won anyway. It has since been a long debate between my colleagues and I on the "Democrats and Republicans are the same" point, and it is refreshing to be able to pull from F.D. Signifier, Marc Lamont Hill, and others' words here as well. You have brought together a respectable consideration for "vote blue no matter who", and it is something I am excited to share with my friends.

Recently, I have quietly come to extreme altruism in hopes of building a better, interlocked community. I have been houseless, starved, and criminalised before; I cannot be scared of that anymore, so I consider myself still willing to risk everything to be "that" militant-revolutionary. Further, I cannot compromise my beliefs in shouting from rooftops "Genocide Joe has got to go" and "Biden, Biden, you're a liar" until my body collapses, just to turn around and vote for him without witnessing a tangible acquiescence to ending U.S. aid to Israel. Yet this video (and many others) has grounded me in being realistic with my abilities and goals, and it reminds me that the world is in constant genocide whether U.S. funding is publicly involved or not. And, as an immigrant privileged with citizenship and considerable proximity to whiteness, the amount of time spent on immigration as a life-or-death struggle was extremely appreciated. This video is inspiring, valuable, and respectable. Thank you again.

Free Palestine, free all colonised people. Peace upon us all in the new year and forever onwards. Cheers, Olly!

[emilybenson]

I just need you to know no matter how hard it gets with the toxicity on social media, that your voice and perspective is very much appreciated and necessary. I don’t know how exhausting it can be to churn out videos like this one, but I can’t thank you enough. Thank you for taking the time to do this. I’m glad to have access to this information in light of everything that’s going on. I hope you’re doing well and have a happy new year 🎉. I can only hope things get better. It’s been rough for a while

[amandaw]

Amazing deep dive! Its a fine line to walk between vote shaming and expressing the importance of voting. I think you did it masterfully. No notes.

[LivingMonae]

Bravo on a truly phenomenal piece of work. As a Black Woman who was so proud to vote when I turned 18 and now 36 have descended into complete dissolution with the 2 party system and gave up on voting. I can truly say you’ve reminded me of why I was proud to vote in the first place. Why my right to vote is so important and why it’s imperative that I participate in, not only federal elections, but my local ones as well. I am committing to participating in the political process and doing so in an informed way. It’s the least I can do for myself and all Americans. Thank you

[NinjaxPrime]

At this point my view is simply this: voting does not win you the fight, but it does determine what terrain you fight on and what weather you fight in.

[ej]

disclaimers and framing 00:00
the realities of revolution 23:30
revolution vs civic engagement 32:00
not voting and disengagement 35:00
racism and the stakes of (not) voting ~ 41:00
what choice do black people have? 52:00
solidarity and tactics 55:00
accelerationism didn't work in 2016 58:00
corporate duopolies 1:05:00
fd signifier wants you to wash your hands 1:07:00
economic realities (?) 1:09:00
revolution (again) and Stop Being Terminally Online 1:10:30
Chapter 2: Government VS The People (gives momentum to status quo) 1:12:50
The government doesn't create change, **people** do 1:14:30
Voting is one tactical tool in your change toolbox 1:15:00
vote to pick the government you can change 1:17:00
fd signifier (really really) wants you to wash your hands 1:20:00
there is no perfect candidate 1:22:00
use the other tools in your toolbox to make up for the candidate's shortcomings 1:25:00
voting is a tool which may not always be useful 1:27:00
third party "spoiler" candidates and the right to vote 3rd party 1:33:00
third party candidates could push mainstream candidates? 1:37:20
Chapter 3: "Democrats and Republicans are the same" 1:42:00
Democrats and Palestine and the argument for moral equivalence 1:43:00 (until 2:05:00)
Joe Biden kinda sucks at politics 1:47:00
Biden does have a specific appeal though (nostalgia for Obama and stability) but it might not be enough 1:49:00
government is a reflection of national interests, for better or for worse, so parties will share a lot of messed up platforms anyway 1:55:00
Modern US empire & imperialism (we *are* genocide) 1:58:00
What the material differences between the parties actually are (trump has 95 felony charges) 2:05:00
freeing people from prison is hard. It's hard under democrats a
but it's impossible under republicans. 2:07:00 (until 2:34:00)
theocratic fascism and cruelty vs status quo (suffering is the point with the Republicans) 2:12:00
Trump made the US immigration system so much worse. If you're pro immigration it should matter to you. 2:21:00
spiderman 02:30:00
immigration is a black issue 2:31:00
republicans are fascists (it gets pretty animated here) 2:34:00
biden's track record 2:36:00
trump vs desantis 2:38:00
definition of fascism and differences 2:41:00

[DragonsEatTofu]

I really appreciate what you said about Twitter! It really is the opposite of what I learned in academia. I’ve rarely seen anyone quote tweet something like “I have some critiques of this person’s thread but this one idea reality inspired me to think.” The internet interferes with critical thinking in so many ways it’s is easy to lose track. I really need to keep reminding myself that I am in the pursuit of knowledge, not the pursuit of building up rage or sad facts that confirm my despair or feeling smarter than other people. The way the everyday commercial internet is set up is really the opposite of what is useful or enriching.

[fareast]

For all the performativity put on blast in this video, non-voters do a lot of this too. When they say that both parties are the same, they often mean "I dont have to care about other people", or "Disengaged learned helplessness is more comfortable than conscious terror at the news" or "Im voting Trump but I know I can't defend it". People have gotten way harder to talk to over my lifetime because they don't say what they mean.

[lish]

Thank you for video, I am black woman living in London and I have been struggling with the idea of voting for the Labour Party. I have voted in every election since I turned 18, and I was just being so disheartened by their behaviour that I have seriously considering not voting. In my opinion, Starmer is a disgrace and is very similar to Biden a corporate stooge but your points validating the other side of me, which understands the importance of voting, regardless of these crackheads.. it just made realised I need to find a way to no be passive. Great video and keep up the work. ❤🎉🎉

[pslam]

i came from hasanabi!! love the video. totally agree that there are multiple right answers. E.g., the "harm reduction" mentality AND the "neither option is acceptable" mentality both align w/ my values

[HoneyESQ]

Wow. Incredible work ! This is so in-depth, well thought out and executed excellently. Thank you for the information! Please keep this going. Society needs it !!!

[StylusShade]

Thanks for talking about this. The issue of voting is a disheartening one when it seems like nothing we do has any impact, but it really needs to sink in that voting isn't even half the battle.

[ForeignManinaForeignLand]

IF ONLY Y'ALL KNOW HOW LONG THIS BEEN IN THE WORKS AND IT FINALLY REACH 🤯

[jamesbelcher]

Level-headed and well-contextualized. Thanks for flashing your bylines as well. "Democrats need to listen to the left" is excellent.

[f.d.]

This was a great watch/listen during a wash day. I especially appreciate the nuanced takes on immigration that I - as a citizen who underwent the naturalization process with my parents - often take for granted, especially as a Haitian

[MMiel-mvpt]

Olay looking like the Goddess of Fire 🔥😍

[valentinaciroski]

Accessible information in this day is radical. 1000%